It was 1993. Skinny, eight-year old Eric had barely survived his first Pop Warner practice. It was a far cry from the touch games he was used to playing on the sidewalks of his San Francisco neighborhood.

“The first day, you get pads and then you get hit,” he recalled, chuckling. “I wasn’t really soft, but I’d never played before. You have more experienced players. I’m getting hit by 10-year-old kids who had been playing for a few years. They kept teeing off on me.”

That night, Eric told his father he wanted to quit. Talim Wright’s response was simple.

“We’ve got to be tough,” he told his son. “It’s going to be like this at times, but you’re going to get better. You’re going to learn how to protect yourself. You’re going to learn how to hit.”

Eric remained unconvinced, but persisted. Several weeks later, he entered a game for the first time. It was late in the fourth quarter, and the score was tied.

“They gave me a pitch, a little sweep play,” he said. “I took it to the house.”

The moment gave Eric the confidence he needed to keep playing, and then some.